1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cleats of the type generally used on sailing craft for holding lines such as a sail sheets, and more particularly it relates to a stable fail-safe cleat with automatic in-line locking cam that stabilizes the cleat mounted on a support surface independently of the dimensions or configuration of the housing or frame of the cleat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional cleat, a line or rope is placed between two eccentric pivoted cams along a cleat center-line and relatively little resistance is applied on the line when it moves in one direction along the center-line, while the line becomes jammed between the cams when tension is exerted on the line in a reverse direction. The greater the tension applied on the line in the reverse direction, the greater the force exerted by the cam cleats on the line. The cam cleats are usually both serrated so as to prevent the slippage of the line through the cleats in the reverse direction. In order to release such a line, the operator must pull the line further through the cleats in the initial direction, opposite the tension in the reverse direction, to relieve some of the force being exerted by the eccentric cams on the line, and then lift the line out from between the cleats off the center-line in a direction normal to the line tension. Under certain sailing conditions, when there is great line tension on the line, it is very difficult for a crewman to pull the line against such line tension and jerk it up and out from between the cam cleats, especially if the crewman is not positioned directly behind the cam cleat where he can use his weight to pull and jerk the line off line.
Examples of patents that require a line or rope to be lifted outside of the plane in which is the cam is mounted for movement include the following patent numbers: 626-0498; 4660 493; 4,361,938; 3,730,129; and 3,265,032.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,042 a cam cleat is disclosed suitable for use on boats. The device includes two parts which face each other and are arranged to be spring loaded to adopt a free position but can be locked in a fixed position by an eccentric control device. The first part is pivoted in such a way that when rotated from the fixed position to the free position the line is arrested in the cam cleat.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,847 a self-releasing cam cleat useful on sailboats and the like can be used to for maintaining sail lines taut However, in order to release the line must be slipped from the smooth gripping surface without the need for the operator to exert a force on the line to pull it away from the cam cleat as is usually done.
With some cleats of the type disclosed in the previous applications in the chain on which this application claims priority significant force couples are created when the line is locked by an internal cam, which tends to separate or “lift” the cleat from the surface on which the cleat is mounted. In some previously disclosed embodiments this problem was addressed by enlarging the size of the housing or frame. However, this approach results in housings or frames that were enlarged for only this reason and rendered the designs impractical for some applications where space for mounting the cleat became a factor.